White Tit Tavern

[Adventurer's Manual] (River Valley Town Branch Special Edition)

Preface... 1–2

Choosing and Using Weapons... 3–9

How to Handle Your Spoils... 31–38

9. [Those Pretty, Sparkling Stones]

"Kukunur's General Store" at 62 Thin Mist Street offered the fairest prices in River Valley Town, but it had to be admitted that young Kukunur could sometimes misjudge flaws (a difference of 3 Silver Coins versus the risk of losing 100 Gold Coins!);

By comparison, the neighboring "Fairy Wind" was stingy with its offers, but its owner, Falilo, had trained as a jeweler. He had once apprenticed at the most famous pawnshop in "Newm" and possessed the sharpest, most discerning eye in all of River Valley Town (take high-end goods to him!).

"Clack."

Three small, opaque green stones with faint streaks were neatly lined up on the counter by Xia Nan.

A trace of anticipation shone in his eyes. Nursing fantasies of getting rich overnight, he looked at the sternly dressed middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses before him.

Though the man named Falilo had recognized the type of gemstones at a glance, he did not casually name a price.

Instead, he picked them up one by one, turning them over and bringing them close for further inspection. Only after studying them carefully for a while did he sit back behind the counter with little interest.

"Malachite. Ordinary quality. Ten Gold Coins each."

16. [Where Do You Dump Your Scrap Metal?]

First, stop chattering!

You need to understand that the secondhand goods you stripped off unlucky bastards can only be sold for half price. That was common sense!

Magic Items were naturally an exception (if you actually had any).

Second, if you truly wanted to find somewhere to dump the heavy burdens you were carrying, I recommend the "Hickory Furnace" at 25 Thin Mist Street.

The owner there had once been an adventurer himself. He knew how hard it was for you to haul that junk back, so he would always offer a decent price (provided you did not mind the dozens of "glorious exploits" that branched off whenever he appraised your goods).

Also, for buying weapons and armor, I recommend "Rock Hammer." Rumor had it that the owner had one sixty-fourth Dwarf blood. Though he had nothing in common with Dwarves besides liking braided beards, his craftsmanship was quite good (you could also go to him for custom equipment).

"Oh, a moldy Small Round Shield and a few pieces of Leather Armor still stained with blood. You only got ten Gold Coins because you came to me—other shops would probably turn them down even if you gave them away for free," the burly man with a thick brown beard said in a rough voice.

"But it's not your fault. When I was young, I also liked hauling this stuff back. I remember one time..."

Xia Nan faithfully followed the manual's advice, keeping his mouth tightly shut and refusing to respond, leaving the other man no chance to get going.

"These arrows have been maintained pretty well. The poison on them has already worn off, yet you still haven't wiped it clean? Add in this Hand Axe... thirty Gold Coins."

"Tch, a Morningstar? From some Bear Goblin, right? Those beasts wouldn't maintain their weapons. Six Gold Coins."

"Still, being able to hunt Bear Goblins at your age is pretty impressive. Even back when I..."

Twenty minutes later.

Bang.

The door of the "Hickory Furnace" closed softly.

Breathing in the fresh air outside, Xia Nan rubbed his somewhat stiff face and let out a long breath.

Compared to when he had just emerged from Thin Mist Forest, he was much lighter now.

In a single morning, Aside from the [Dead Line] ring and Elki's two daggers still tucked at his waist—they were quite handy in an emergency, so he had not sold them—

he had disposed of all his other spoils.

Including the small bag of coins gathered from the Goblin Nest, Xia Nan's total assets had now reached an "astonishing" 131 Gold Coins, 5 Silver Coins, and 9 Copper Coins.

Without question, to the farmer's son who had grown up working the fields, this was an enormous sum he had never seen before.

The numbers alone might not have conveyed what that money meant.

But in practical goods, it amounted to enough flour to fill an entire warehouse, over a hundred goats, or more than ten dairy cows.

Back in the village where Xia Nan had lived, it was almost more wealth than the entire assets of most villagers' families.

And this was merely the reward from a single mission.

Only now, feeling the heavy weight of over a hundred Gold Coins in the Backpack on his back, did Xia Nan truly understand why, despite knowing this profession was so dangerous that survival was nearly impossible, countless people still took the risk every year and plunged headfirst into this mire.

Of course, while these Gold Coins possessed immense purchasing power for ordinary goods, once anything related to adventurers was involved, they seemed to become an entirely different currency.

If you didn't count [Dead Line], all his worldly possessions were only enough to buy two bottles of "Healing Potion."

Xia Nan gave a bitter smile and shook his head, forcibly suppressing the unrealistic thoughts and sense of disparity filling his heart.

He opened the [Adventurer's Manual] again.

After running around all morning, perhaps he should find somewhere to rest and get something to eat.

[White Tit Tavern]

Its cheap food and drink, along with its convenient location right next to the Adventurers Association, made it the first choice for low-ranking adventurers in River Valley Town.

Xia Nan had been here once before, when Maji had treated him.

He seemed to remember ordering a serving of "Gray Rat Meat Fried Rice," along with a cup of water.

However, his predecessor's mind had been completely elsewhere at the time. He had merely wolfed the food down to fill his stomach.

As a result, Xia Nan had no clear impression of the tavern's cooking.

"But since the manual recommends it, it should be decent enough."

Muttering to himself, he pushed open the tavern door before him.

Creak—

The rich scent of alcohol, so thick it seemed almost tangible, enveloped Xia Nan along with a wave of raucous noise that rushed at him like the wind.

A bright street, a warm tavern.

Separated by a single door, yet it felt as though he had entered another world.

A young adventurer with a flushed face stood on a wooden table, waving an unsheathed longsword as he loudly boasted about something. Meanwhile, a weathered, bearded middle-aged man sat alone in a corner, drowning his sorrows in drink.

Colorful tapestries and banners, curling smoke and brass oil lamps, long wooden tables and rough stools; maps, dice, wine cups, Leather Armor, robes, and hands plucking at strings...

"This is the feeling."

Xia Nan finally felt, once more, that he had truly come to another world.

The tavern's warm, gentle light and the fragrance of food filling the air seemed to release all the fatigue his body had accumulated over the past few days in an instant.

His gaze swept across the hall. Spotting the Tavern Owner, he strode over.